on the road

RV boom: how a pandemic revitalized an industry

RV camper Jerry Hardesty, from Florida, next to his family’s RV in the Jellystone RV Park July 14, 2020. Hardesty has been on the road several months, using his RV to travel while remaining socially distanced.

ADDIE SLANGER

Montana 55

The roar of Interstate 90 fades away behind grass berms and guardrails just to the south of Jellystone Park, 10 minutes outside of Missoula. Flanked perpendicularly by Highway 93, the RV park is surrounded by the buzz of traffic. Still though, it manages to cultivate a sense of seclusion.

The eclectic mishmash in both infrastructure and location is host to a cluster of recreational vehicles (RVs) worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Images of Yogi Bear sit plastered on the fence of the shallow kiddie pool and the log-cabin front of the park’s check-in building.

It’s this campsite, yellow paint peeling off the Jellystone sign and turf of the mini-golf course frayed at the corners, Maria Opfar and her husband, Scott, picked as a stop on their Montana and southern Idaho road trip.

The Opfars were relatively new to RVing. They had owned their motorhome for a little over a year and had only taken one trip prior to the current one that landed them at Jellystone.

“We so needed to get out of town. It’s just important right now,” Maria, 55, said. She continued, praising the benefits of her RV. “You have all the convenience of home.”

“This is the best way to camp, are you kidding?” added Maria’s camp neighbor Margie, whose impressive motorhome was parked next door. “It helps you keep your sanity.”

Maria’s family, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, have long been

RVers. Her parents owned a moforums across the country. “But the 2008-2009 recession and had fell off in March and April, but torhome for 15 years. She grew now, it’s driven by finding a safe evened out. Basically, it wasn’t came back stronger in May. up around the lifestyle, and when way to travel.” setting any records. That’s just on the manufacturit was time for her parents to Robinowitz pointed to the In 2019, RV sales showed an ing end. Unofficial data from trade in their RV for a retirement obvious as the catalyst of this expected, yet tough-to-stomach, saleroom floors show demand in home, the Opfars jumped on the unprecedented new wave of double-digit decline in shipMay and June skyrocketing. opportunity to take the camper RV demand: the cabin fever of ments. The arrival of a new So while there may not be a off Maria’s parent’s hands. It quarantine. decade made many hopeful record-breaking year for manuseemed to have come at a perfect “RVing and road trips are safe that the drop would be more facturers, there is an indisputable, time.

In the wake of coronavirus, RVing is becoming more and more popular. It’s a way to travel comfortably during quarantine, a loophole in this new, socially-distant world. The demand is so great that many dealers are selling models right off the showroom floor. Manufacturing companies are months behind on orders.

It’s said that the RV industry acts as a type of harbinger for the economy. Before an economic dip, people stop buying motorhomes and trailers. And before an uptick, when people find themselves with a bit more in the RVs and trailers in the lot of Rangitsch Brothers RV and Manufactured Home Center on July 10, “fun” category of their budget, sales increase. So why, 2020. The vehicles sit next to more empty spots than usual, because of their recent popularity and a sudden upswing in sales, says owner Jim Rangitsch. now, is there such a high demand, at a time the U.S. right now. And people need to manageable and point toward record-breaking demand for the is seeing an unemployment rate get out,” he said. another eventual boom. Never product, Robinowitz said. of well over 10% and the econo“A lot of RVs belong to older did predictions take into account More than 80% of global my is suffering so completely at people,” Robinowitz continued. a pandemic, and if they did, RobRV manufacturing happens in the hands of the pandemic? “But regardless of age, there’s inowitz doubted they’d foresee Elkhart, Indiana, a city of just

“It’s historically revolved also a lot of first-time RVers. It’s RV success. over 50,000 residents. It’s called around disposable income. When a new form of vacation.” Sales in 2020 are not final, the “RV Capital of the World” for the economy gets tough, people Robinowitz said prior to but data from the RV Industry a reason. It’s also a hotspot for don’t buy the luxury,” said Andy coronavirus, the RV industry was Association shows that, until coronavirus, with Elkhart County Robinowitz, owner of RV Life, a pretty economically flat. It was March, the year’s shipments were claiming the third-most cases in company that runs dozens of RV down from its bounce-back after outpacing 2019. Those shipments the state. mt55mag.com 9

Manufacturers were forced to freeze production altogether from mid-March to the end of April.

This production freeze trickled down to the RV dealers, who, since the relaxing of shelter-athome restrictions, have seen a big increase in customers who are jumping at the bit to get out of the house, even if that means only camping 10 minutes away at Jellystone.

The demand is more than the supply can handle.

Jim Rangitsch, owner of Rangitsch Brothers RV in Missoula, expects his recent shipping orders to arrive in February of 2021 at the earliest. That’s how backed up manufacturers are.

At first, Rangitsch said, that wasn’t a problem. Customers slowed to a trickle and then eventually stopped in the weeks of shutdown this spring. But when restrictions loosened, his company could not catch a breath.

“People were lining up out the door,” Rangitsch said. “They were buying models right off the showroom floor.”

Business is still just as busy, but now Rangitsch has to turn people away for a lack of inventory. Even his RV toilet paper stash goes fast.

The true mark of the RV craze can be seen in the emptiness of the Rangitsch Brothers’ lots, where RVs usually sit in geometrically-pleasing rows, claustrophobically close. Now, the space of the parking lot is expansive, with most trailers present having already been sold.

“Yeah, that one’s sold. And that one. And those two,” Rangitsch said on a recent tour of the lot, pointing at RVs. “That one isn’t, I don’t think.”

“Actually,” he continued, once inside the camper,

Jim Rangitsch, owner of Rangitsch Brothers RV and Manufactured Home, on the lot of the business. “this one is sold, too.” “It puts you in control. It quarantine for four months in

Pamela Key is the director of gives you some freedom,” she Florida before they decided communications for America’s said. “This enables people to get it was time for a change of largest member-owned RV out and spend time outdoors, scenery. That change in scenery travel club, the Family Motor which is being encouraged right turned out to be a three-month Coach Association (FMCA). now anyway. It lets you get cross-country roadtrip. The FMCA provides members away, and turns out you don’t “Finally we decided: it’s time with many benefits, including have to go far.” to travel,” Jerry said. “That keeping them up-to-date on the Back at Jellystone, campseems to be the standing rule, latest industry trends. ers packed up for the morning. that it’s safer to camp and social

“RVs are really hot right The Opfars exchanged emails distance and that kind of stuff.” now,” Kay said. “This isn’t reand phone numbers with their The Hardestys were planning ally a normal part of the cycle, neighbors for future excursions. on hitting Glacier National Park but it’s not too surprising. With Down the road a bit, Jerry after Kalispell, and then returnRVs, you can social distance as Hardesty sat in the shade of ing back to Florida through much as you want to.” his motorhome, shaving. His Yellowstone and Wyoming, a

Kay wondered if much of the grandkids’ bikes lay scattered different way than they came. craze has to do with an attempt around the camper. His family Jerry loves RVing. He has to regain control. In a world planned to spend one more day a pitch for why more people where few constants exist, least at Jellystone before heading up should participate in the activity. of all travel plans, it’s nice to to Kalispell. “It’s just so quiet and nice and know a home-on-wheels waits Jerry, from Daytona Beach, peaceful. It’s very easy. for you at any moment, she Florida, has RVed all his life. To me, it’s the best way to said. He and his wife had been in travel.” MT55